South County Politics: Issue statements from County Council candidates

Incumbent Democratic Snohomish County Council member Terry Ryan and Republican challenger Marcus Barton recently sent statements about what they think are the most important issues in this year’s election.The two are running on the Aug. 1 primary ballot for the County Council District 4 position that Ryan has held for a one four-year term.
Both candidates certainly will qualify for the Nov. 7 general-election ballot. State law allows the top two vote-getters in the primary to qualify for the November ballot.

Washington law requires a primary for partisan offices even with only one or two candidates.

Council District 4 includes Mountlake Terrace, Brier, Bothell, Mill Creek and unincorporated areas near those municipalities.

Ballots for the August primary went to voters by first-class mail Thursday, with voters’ pamphlets having been sent Wednesday by bulk mail.

Here are the candidates’ introductory statements in the order that their names will appear on the primary ballot and in the voters’ pamphlet.

COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICT 4partisan office, four-year term

Terry Ryan (Prefers Democratic Party)—

Snohomish County faces many challenges, but I’m proud of my track record of standing up for our communities. I delivered over $91 million in transportation projects to our district and am committed to securing new investments in transportation infrastructure and transit to deal with our growing traffic challenges. Additionally, I will work with local businesses and workers to grow our economy and ensure every family has the opportunity they deserve. Finally, we have to continue bolstering public safety and fight our growing opioid epidemic that contributes to crime in our neighborhoods and that hurts local families. With your vote, I’ll work on all of these challenges so families can thrive.

Marcus Barton(Prefers Republican Party)—

As I talk to members of the community, I have asked what issues matter the most to them. They’re tired of the rapid growth of housing developments that are getting density bonus’ from the county to cram more houses into the properties they purchase. They want developers to improve the strained infrastructure before they build houses or offices. And they’re worried that the taxes of other counties are going to be enacted here. These items require immediate attention. They should take precedence over airfields or firework stands. I will work to make sure that the interests of citizens become a priority and the community’s voice is heard.

Get personalized voters’ guides on line

Voters in south Snohomish County and around Washington state can read personal voters’ guides for the Aug. 1 primary election on line.

Voters can get the voter guides on line even without the printed pamphlets, which Snohomish County sent by bulk mail to all residential addresses Wednesday. Ballots went to registered voters by first-class mail Thursday.

While the printed pamphlets contain information on every contest in Snohomish County, on-line guides are individualized for each voter. So instead of looking at information for three county council districts and tax levies in cities and fire districts around the county, a voter in Mountlake Terrace would find material only about County Council District 4, the Edmonds school District and the Alderwood Wastewater District. That Mountlake Terrace voter can find this by logging in at https://weiapplets.sos.wa.gov/MyVote5/#/login.

Then the voter enters his or her name and date of birth, being careful not to enter any extra spaces after his or her name. Next, the voter needs to click on “Voters’ Guide.” Finally, a voter can click on “Measures” or “Candidates.”

Commenting Policy

We welcome comments on all posts at MLTnews. To encourage constructive community dialogue, all commenters must use their real names, first and last. Comments from users with names that don't comply with this policy will be removed. To be fair, this includes comments from longstanding readers who in the past have used just one name. We ask that you re-register on the site to include your full name.